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Willow Elementary

Q: Is Willow Elementary a good school?

Willow Elementary ranks 2498 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2498^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of California elementary schools

Summary

Willow Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 420 students in South Gate, California, as part of the Los Angeles Unified school district, and it has shown remarkable academic improvement over the past decade, rising to perform solidly above both the district and state average.

The school's most impressive achievement is its dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, dropping from 52% to just 12.4% in three years—a rate now far better than the district and state. Academically, Willow is particularly strong in mathematics and excels at serving its student community, with Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students scoring in the top quartiles statewide. While nearby schools like Victoria Avenue Elementary and Stanford Avenue Elementary have slightly higher test scores, Willow achieves its strong outcomes with lower per-student spending and significantly better student attendance.

Willow Elementary operates efficiently compared to many peers, and its sustained transformation from a low-performing to a consistently above-average school is a notable success story in the area. While it faces some challenges, such as variable performance in science and with English Learners, its overall trajectory, cost-effectiveness, and exceptional attendance record make it a standout choice for families in the community.

420

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,658

Per pupil spending ?

93.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2777 Willow Pl.
South Gate, CA 90280-2816

(323) 568-5760

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Willow Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Middle
High:	International Studies Learning Center at Legacy High School Complex
	Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math at Legacy High School Complex
	South East High
	South Gate Senior High
	More...
	Visual and Performing Arts at Legacy High School Complex

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.6%

Two or more races:

1.7%

White:

0.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Willow Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 35 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Science scores 10 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg39%

California avg41%

2,498^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 35 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

186^th of 487Elementary Schools in the Los Angeles Unified

791^st of 1,543Los Angeles Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	2498 of 5857	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	2440 of 5869	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	2487 of 5859	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.3	3068 of 5883	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.8	2432 of 5789	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.2	2886 of 5662	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.9	4269 of 5692	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.3	3989 of 5614	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.7	4360 of 5611	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.8	1694 of 3162	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	2757 of 3245	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.6	1500 of 3311	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	2528 of 3275	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	2189 of 3246	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	2188 of 5597	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	2222 of 5612	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	2165 of 5609	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	2508 of 5635	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	2248 of 5492	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.0	2835 of 5413	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.8	1268 of 5107	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	1270 of 5107	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	1245 of 5087	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	56.7	1797 of 5084	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.5	1150 of 4963	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	60.6	1598 of 4830	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	1426 of 5460	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	1555 of 5517	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.3	1308 of 5363	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	58.5	1768 of 5264	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.4	1224 of 5173	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	58.3	1840 of 5084	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	2744 of 5628	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.4	2547 of 5643	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	2697 of 5638	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.0	3622 of 5663	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.7	2469 of 5510	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.9	2790 of 5431	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)74th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)51st percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)46th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Mathematics42%+5 vs state

Science23%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2777 Willow Pl.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 568-5760	420	21	20.0	93.3%	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	410 (97.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	52	2498^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.4%		52.2	2440^th of 5869 public elementary schools	58.4%	58	22.6		22.6	41.4	48.6	59.7				49.5	37.1	55.7	32.3				42.1							$24,658	$4,544	$20,114
KIPP Corazon Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	8616 Long Beach Blvd.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	KIPP Corazon Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 457-5051	1,070	44	24.3	87.4%	5 (0.5%)	6 (0.6%)	1,041 (97.3%)	9 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	39	3284^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.9%		45.1	2858^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.3%	426	33.3	28.7	31.3	21.6	39.3	44.5	39.2	44.4	48.5	39.6	34.2	45.5	31.0	23.6	31.3	25.7	31.8							$20,393	$1,774	$18,619
Stanford Avenue Elementary	Public	1-5	2833 Illinois Ave.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 569-8117	329	16	20.5	96.7%	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	319 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	61.3	2000^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.9%		48.4	2646^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.9%	646	25.4		25.4	49.2	57.7	49.2				52.5	60.3	57.7	32.8				50.5							$26,474	$5,590	$20,884
Liberty Boulevard Elementary	Public	K-5	2728 Liberty Blvd.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 583-4196	410	22	18.6	96.8%	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	402 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	39	3283^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	43.9%		36.3	3417^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.8%	134	24.6		24.6	39.4	34.6	36.9				37.1	51.5	29.8	29.2				37.4	94.2	94.2	98.1	97.1	96.1	97.1	$26,599	$5,031	$21,568
Stanford Primary Center	Public	K	3020 Kansas Ave.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 563-9208	112	6	18.6	96.4%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	109 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)								(n/a)																		97.2	97.9		97.9	97.2		$45,175	$6,488	$38,687
Montara Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	10018 Montara Ave.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 567-1451	554	31	17.8	93.3%	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	537 (96.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.4%)	49.2	2639^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.9%		49.3	2591^st of 5869 public elementary schools	55.9%	48	14.8		14.8	46.0	38.8	42.0	56.8			44.4	60.8	40.0	32.1	47.7			44.4	97.3	98.2					$25,178	$4,816	$20,362
Independence Elementary	Public	K-5	8435 Victoria Ave.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 249-9559	418	22	19.0	94.7%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	410 (98.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	35.6	3533^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.7%		46.7	2751^st of 5869 public elementary schools	53.1%	782	22.0		22.0	42.3	34.0	40.0				39.3	33.8	41.5	23.9				31.5							$28,553	$6,021	$22,532
Madison Elementary	Public	K-5	9820 Madison Ave.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 568-3900	482	25	19.2	94.0%	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	472 (97.9%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	34.9	3590^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.7%		39.9	3179^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.8%	411	19.1		19.1	41.8	30.6	37.1				36.1	43.3	34.9	28.1				34.7							$23,271	$4,657	$18,614
State Street Elementary	Public	K-5	3211 Santa Ana St.	South Gate	90280	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 582-7358	396	19	20.8	95.2%	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	382 (96.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	34.9	3592^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	38.7%		25.6	4316^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.5%	724	33.9		33.9	23.1	26.6	54.6				34.5	21.2	29.2	35.7				28.9	95.0			95.0	96.3	96.3	$27,780	$5,480	$22,300
Ninety-Second Street Elementary	Public	K-6	9211 Grape St.	Los Angeles	90002	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 564-7946	568	31	18.3	98.6%	4 (0.7%)	48 (8.5%)	503 (88.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)	40.4	3185^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.6%		42.3	3044^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.1%	141	16.0		16.0	43.5	37.5	37.8	39.7			39.4	49.3	48.8	21.0	37.0			37.6							$24,731	$5,419	$19,312

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Elementary

Is Willow Elementary a good school?

Willow Elementary ranks 2498^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Willow Elementary in?

Los Angeles Unified

What schools do graduates of Willow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Willow Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Middle
High : International Studies Learning Center at Legacy High School Complex
High : Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math at Legacy High School Complex
High : South East High
High : South Gate Senior High
High : Visual and Performing Arts at Legacy High School Complex

How many students attend Willow Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 420 students attended Willow Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Elementary?

Students at Willow Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Willow Elementary!

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Schools in South Gate, CA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.